2.30ct Pear Shape Blue-Green Tourmaline

This stone is a 2.3ct blue-green pear shaped tourmaline. It was mined in Nigeria. This stone would make a stunning ring or small pendant.

Tourmaline is a family of gemstones that has been enjoyed by people for centuries. Tourmaline had often been commonly mistaken for other gemstones including ruby, sapphire, and emerald depending on its color. The confusion about this stones identity is even reflected in its name which comes from “toramalli”, which means “mixed gems” in Sinhalese, a language of Sri Lanka. Tourmalines come in a broad variety of exciting colors and have one of the widest color ranges of any species of gemstones.

Rubelliteis a type of tourmaline that includes red, purplish-red, orangy-red, and brownish-red.

Indicoliteis a dark violetish blue to greenish blue member of the tourmaline family.

Chrome Tourmalineis primarily colored by chromium and is often an intense green.

Watermelon Tourmalineis an interesting stone that is generally pink in the center and green around the outside of the crystal.

For many years gemologists would claim that tourmaline could be found in any color except vibrant blue, but in 1988 a truly remarkable blue variety of tourmaline was discovered in the state of Paraiba, Brazil. This gemstone, now known as Paraiba Tourmaline has become one of the most desired of all tourmalines with its intense violetish blue, greenish blue, or blue color.

Source:

Tourmaline is often found in Brazil but is also found in many countries around the world, including: Namibia, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Mozambique, United States, Myanmar (Burma), and Kenya.

Hardness:

Tourmalines usually measure 7 - 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale.

Refractive Index:

Tourmalines have a refractive index of about 1.616 – 1.65

Care and Cleaning:

It is recommended to clean your tourmalines with warm, soapy water. Ultrasonic cleaning and steam cleaning are not recommended.